Vikes Kennedy submits own declaration downplaying any role

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jimmy Kennedy submitted a signed declaration to the case filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans.
It stated the following: He said in the locker room during the 2010 NFC championship game, &quot;They are ...

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jimmy Kennedy submitted a signed declaration to the case filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans.

It stated the following: He said in the locker room during the 2010 NFC championship game, "They are hitting us like there's money on the table." He wasn't referring to any bounty program and was encouraging his teammates to block better for quarterback Brett Favre.

-- Four days later, then Vikings Coach Brad Childress approached Kennedy about a bounty being on Favre and Kennedy said he knew nothing about it. Kennedy also said he didn't approach Childress about a bounty on Favre because he knew nothing of a bounty.

-- Kennedy received a phone call from Joe Hummel, the lead investigator for the NFL in the Saints' bounty scandal. Kennedy told Hummel that he knew nothing about an allegation of a bounty placed on Favre. Kennedy said it wasn't an "interview." He referred to it as a brief call. Kennedy said he had another brief conversation with Hummel a few months later and said the same thing. He never spoke to Hummel again.

-- Kennedy never met with or spoke to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the bounty allegations. Kennedy also never spoke to former Saints defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove about a bounty on Favre.

Some of Vilma's arguments include Goodell's public statements demonstrate his bias in being an arbitrator, Goodell's bias has tainted the process so that Vilma can't receive a fair hearing and how the league admits it can't provide a fair hearing without having former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and former assistant Mike Cerullo at the hearing. Ginsberg also provided the 31 pages of evidence his side claims the NFL never revealed until the league re-issued suspensions to the four players last week.

Additionally, the NFLPA is pointing back to an ESPN segment in 1996 called "Smash for Cash" where the NFL said it was legal to allow cash payment between players for big hits.

"The NFLPA has just become aware of an ESPN segment that aired around January 1996, entitled 'Smash for Cash,' detailing former NFL player-funded 'incentive' pools for legitimate plays," the filing read. "The segment shows players discussing player-to-player incentives for 'big plays' (e.g., interceptions), and one player, Reggie White, describes paying $500 for 'big hits' (Mr. Fujita, by contrast, is not alleged to have offered incentives for any hits).

"The NFL did not punish any of those players for violating the Constitution & Bylaws provisions invoked against Mr. Fujita, or for anything else. To the contrary, towards the conclusion of the segment, an NFL spokesperson is quoted as saying 'the 'Smash for Cash' program is within the rules as long as players use their own monies, the amounts are not exorbitant, and the payments are not for illegal hits.'

That one ESPN piece submitted in court could be used to show other players/teams participated in performance pools with the leagues knowledge and contributed to a league wide culture of performance pools.

If I were Vilma's lawyer, I would start adding every player that has ever made ANY statement published by the media regarding player pools... I would hire additional interns to scour every print/video released and add any player/coach/etc I could to the witness list.

I would parade them one-by-one and ask them if they ever participated in a money transfer for plays made in ANY NFL game after providing them with the statement they made to the press. Second question would be if they ever injured a player and ask if they were paid for that play - legal or not. Any testimony would be available to the players with the current lawsuits against the league.

It would get so messy the league would finally have no choice to FOLD, unless the owners want the league to basically implode.

Would hate for it to come to that, but if the league wants to play hardball it goes both ways...

Has the NFL or Goodell made any comment regarding Kennedy's denial? He's been publicly stating the NFL just made it up. Why wouldn't they at least say something to refute his implication that they're lying? You would think they would want to get out in front of this. It should be pretty easy to do, at least in the court of public opionion. Date and location of the interview, the people there, transcripts of what was said...something.